relaxation amidst many duties and obligations

…Much company came hither to-day, my Lady Carteret, &c., Sir William Wheeler and his lady, and, above all, Mr. Becke, of Chelsy, and wife and daughter, my Lord’s mistress, and one that hath not one good feature in her face, and yet is a fine lady, of a fine taille, and very well carriaged, and mighty discreet. I took all the occasion I could to discourse with the young ladies in her company to give occasion to her to talk, which now and then she did, and that mighty finely, and is, I perceive, a woman of such an ayre, as I wonder the less at my Lord’s favour to her, and I dare warrant him she hath brains enough to entangle him. Two or three houres we were in her company, going into Sir H. Finche’s garden, and seeing the fountayne, and singing there with the ladies, and a mighty fine cool place it is, with a great laver of water in the middle and the bravest place for musique I ever heard….

Pepys has given us a good example of how to relax from his many responsibilities via music, singing, enjoying a garden and a fountain.

I’m not impressed by people who say they do nothing but work because I think you lose colour from your life. Relaxation is just as important as performing obligatory work. I do get preachy from time to time but I think the work/play balance is so important to enable the brain to refresh itself from its many duties. The mind can only heal itself if you forget about what you’re worried or concerned about.

Today June 15, the Daily Mail has produced the most comprehensive and lengthy pictorial I have ever seen of the recent disaster in the West London tower block, Grenfell Tower. I don’t know how long this link will last but it is certainly worth a look. Repercussions will abound for years to come and people are talking about starting criminal proceedings, particularly with the cladding used on the building that was not fireproof.